This episode was supported by generous grants from the Educating Character
Initiative at Wake Forest University and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
as part of the Greater Good Science Center's work on bridging differences in higher education.
The Morningside campus of Columbia is situated in Manhattan, but in this particular neighborhood, it's Harlem.
So Harlem bears great significance when you're thinking of black culture, especially in the 20th century.
I'm in Harlem and I got to stop by and see the Cotton Club.
And so the minute I say that, everyone in the room looks at me and just goes,
"What's the Cotton Club?" And I said, "Oh, my God. This has been a place where black talent has emerged
and some of the greatest of all time have come here and performed." I think something
that is important about me being there is that I wouldn't exactly call myself an elite anything, right?
I don't come from the space,
but I understand that Harlem is rich in the same way that coming up in Maryland, Baltimore is rich.
And so I come to Columbia with that knowledge, and it's something that I intend to share in that space.
Welcome to the Science of Happiness.
I'm Dacher Keltner.
Across communities, people are finding ways to bridge differences through listening, curiosity,
and moments of human connection.
Research suggests that even brief interactions rooted
in empathy and understanding can help build trust and reduce polarization.
We'll hear how colleges and universities can become places